Hunter introduces bid to name next naval ship

Rep. Duncan Hunter on Monday introduced legislation directing the secretary of the Navy to name the next available ship after Marine Corps Sgt. Rafael Peralta.

The announcement comes after Navy officials announced the decision to name the last in a line of cargo ships after César Chávez, a decision criticized by Hunter, R-Alpine, a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Last week Sen. Barbara Boxer joined with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and more than a dozen colleagues to praise Navy Secretary Ray Mabus after he announced plans to name the ship after the late civil and labor rights leader, who was 17 when he enlisted in the Navy.

The senators pointed to the Navy’s tradition of naming ships in the T-AKE class after pioneers such as Sacagawea, Amelia Earhart, Carl Brashear, Alan Shepard, Lewis and Clark and Medgar Evers.

In a statement Monday, Hunter said it was only right that the Navy name its next ship after Peralta after he was wrongly denied the nation’s highest award for military valor.

Peralta, who grew up in southeastern San Diego, was nominated for the Medal of Honor after smothering a grenade with his body during combat in Fallujah, Iraq. Instead, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

“This is a way to keep my brother’s legacy alive,” said Icela Donald, speaking for the family. “After everything we’ve been through, this means so much to the entire family.”

“Sergeant Peralta was a courageous individual who saved the lives of six other brave Marines and should have received the Medal of Honor for what he did," said Cardenas, who was born in Mexico and served 35 years in the military. "Naming a ship after Sergeant Peralta is a well-deserved honor for such a brave and selfless American.”